Meeting Is Scheduled To Form Marketing Team To Attract Gm

A meeting has been set for March 4 to implement the formation of a marketing team with the initial goal of bringing a proposed General Motors Saturn plant to the Lehigh Valley.

The mayors of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton proposed such a team at a meeting Tuesday in Easton.

A letter was drafted Wednesday on behalf of the three city mayors inviting 14 dignitaries to discuss the matter further at 9 a.m. March 4 in the board room at Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Airport.

The letter states the proposal was brought up to determine the feasibility of economic and industrial development agencies in the area forming a task force to develop a plan to work with the state in submitting a presentation to General Motors to consider the valley as the site of a new Saturn manufacturing plant.

The letter adds: "Recognizing that Gov. Thornburgh is presently attempting to get General Motors to consider Pennsylvania as the state for such a facility, we felt that we might be able to put together a much better package if all of us, together, pool our resources, our strengths, out expertise and our best offer in terms of a possible site for this major manufacturing facility.

"Recognizing also that regardless of where it would be located in the Lehigh Valley, each of our three cities and both counties and all our municipalities would benefit, either directly or indirectly. We believe our chances of obtaining such a plant would be better this way than each of us putting forth separate and competing proposals for General Motors and the state to consider.

"It was further felt that although the above would be an excellent short- term project for this task force to consider, perhaps we should also think of the long-term need to have such a task force in place to go after future industrial and business enterprises that might be looking to either relocate or expand."

Invited to the meeting are David K. Bausch, Lehigh County executive; Gene Hartzell, Northampton County executive; George Southworth, president of the Allentown-Lehigh County Chamber of Commerce; James Davis, executive vice president of the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce; Michael Dowd, president of the Easton Chamber of Commerce; Donald Benner, executive director of the Industrial Development Corp. of Lehigh County; Fred J. Hoover, president of the Industrial Development Commission of Northampton County.

Also, Judith McGough, executive vice president of the Allentown Economic Development Corp.; John Rohal, executive director of the Bethlehem Economic Development Committee; Joseph Milutis, president of the Easton Economic Development Corp.; Jack Yohe, manager of A-B-E Airport; Michael Stershic, executive director of the Lehigh Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau; Michael N. Kaiser, executive director of the Lehigh-Northampton Joint Planning Commission; and Martha Phelps, executive director of the Private Industry Council.